Horsemanship Foundation Training
for horses - basics with excellence
Catching
The goal is to have a horse that wants to be with the human. A horse that looks up from the hay or grass and will happily leave the herd to spend time with it's human instead of turning around and walking away when it sees a human approaching with a halter.
Hoof handling
Being able to stand relaxed for handling and trimming of the feet does not come natural to a prey animal. Especially for horses that grew up in the wild or that have trauma from getting their feet tied up it is extremely important to invest the time it takes instead of having stress and dangerous situations for the rest of their lives.
Saddling
When it comes to coltstarting "accept the saddle" is an extremely important part of the training. With the right approach and respect for the horse stress, wild bucking or rodeo are not needed!
Lateral Flexion
Lateral flexion is your safety stop and security when the horse gets tense and gives you time to get off before an accident happens. This is why I explain it well to every young horse on the ground so that they know that they can find relaxation and saftey there. Neutral lateral flexion is the first thing I ask - on every first ride.
Direct Rein
Square turns teach a horse to put and keep the weight on the hindquarters throughout the turns.
Bridling & Unbridling
This mare came to Pat's barn because several people had ended up in the hospital. Pat said on a scale of danger from 1-5 (5 meaning that one day a horse or human will die because of her) she was a 4.5. She had a severe bridling issue with absolutely not allowing anyone to touch hear head and this video shows her after a couple of weeks in training.
Finesse
Horses are not made for dressage, it's the dressage that is made for the horse. It is extremely important to get and keep a horse physically fit without loosing the mental and emotional happines. Introducing the bit and lateral movements in-hand and transferring them to the saddle should be part of any horses development if we want them to stay healthy and happy when carrying the weight of a rider.
Haltering
Acting like a partner, lowering their head and putting their nose into the halter because they like being with the human is the goal.
Trailer loading
​
Horses do not have to be afraid of trailer loading and traveling! With the right preperation and approach your horse can learn to love the trailer and load and travel relaxed and happy. I am of course happy to help horses that have trauma and issues with trailer loading to regain their trust and confidence.
Mounting & Dismounting
When it comes to mounting and dismounting I like the horse to stand relaxed and happy until the rider mounted and dismounted safely. Instead of a horse that moves a step or more away as soon as you get on the mounting block or starts walking off before both feet are in the stirrups I like the horse to act like a partner and park next to the mounting block.
Indirect Rein
Colt Jamiro doing the indirect rein (without actually needing the reins anymore) at the trot and standíng still after 4 weeks of training.
Back-up
The better the back up, the better the transitions! I want to be able to do downwards transitions without having to use the reins, I want the horses to stay in harmony with the riders seat and energy.
Trailriding
My facility is located ideally to teach your horse to remain curious, calm and confident in new and scary situations. We have scary tarps, tractors and water sprinklers in the agricultural fields, aggressively barking dogs behind the fence or bush, streets with all sorts of vehicles, a lake with the possibilty to swim, sandy forests and last but not least the beach with it's scary everchanging and unpredictable waves.